Overall, buyers are looking for a home that looks clean, neat, and well-maintained. By addressing exterior issues, you immediately give your buyers a positive “first impression” of your Naples Home. Here are 13 first impression items to examine:

Tip #1: Get into your car and drive away from your home. Drive towards your home the way a potential buyer would. Notice your first impressions of your home. Is the landscaping well groomed? How about the driveway and curb? Can you easily see the architecture of the home, or is it blocked by trees and bushes. Notice your roof. Is it in good condition? Make a list of items that need
attention.

Tip #4: Wash or thoroughly clean wood, aluminum, and vinyl sided homes. You can hire a contractor to pressure wash an entire house for a reasonable price. Pressure washing can remove dirt, grime, peeling paint, and mildew.

Tip #5: Rake leaves, trim shrubbery and trees, cut the lawn, and plant a few new, fresh flowers. Put down fresh mulch or peat moss around shrubs and flower beds.

Tip #6: Sweep and hose off the walkways and driveways. Pressure wash if necessary.

Tip #7: Clean the gutters and extend downspouts to prevent flooding or basement water seepage.

Tip #8: Organize the garage. Get rid of clutter by either putting it in boxes, or pack ahead of time and rent a storage locker for your garage belongings. Make sure you wash your car.

Tip #9: Check the locks of your home at both entry, back entry, and garage. Locks can give a first impression of a home that needs maintenance. And they’re the first thing a buyer sees. A small dab of graphite will make them work like new.

Tip #10: Clean oil stains from your driveway and garage. This is best achieved by using poultice with Portland cement. Scrub with a detergent and rinse. Clean rust stains beneath rails.

Tip #11: Clean up any litter in the yard or walkways. Remove any leaves or debris in the yard or walkways.

Tip #12: Touch-up the paint on the exterior of the home if necessary. In some cases, it pays to repaint the entire exterior if it hasn’t received a coat of paint in years. Hardwood trim on the exterior of the home can make or break its appearance. Make sure it looks clean.

Tip #13: Look for any cracks in exterior plaster, and make sure they’re fixed and repainted to match exterior paint.

Interior Of Your Naples Home:

There’s a little known secret about home buyers that you need to know. People buy homes based on the emotional FEELINGS they get from the home.

back to you in purchase price.

Tip #22: Wax or polish floors, and glue down any seems if you have vinyl flooring.

Tip #23: Make sure windows and doors operate properly and lub

They fall in love, for example, with the kitchen or the master bedroom. Or perhaps the roaring fire in the family room fireplace touched off an old memory. And while they’re viewing your home, they’re visualizing in their mind’s eye what it would be like to live there – the backyard barbecues they’ll host…Sunday dinners with family…college graduation celebrations of their children. Or- simply relaxing in the backyard hammock. It’s all about emotions.

If your home doesn’t feel right, you will quickly lose interest from buyers.

So remember this: Home Purchase Decisions are EMOTIONAL.

Once a decision to buy is made, we usually justify our purchase with logical reasons.

By dressing the interior of your home right, you’ll encourage your buyers to stay. People buy with their eyes, ears and noses, and the longer they stay in your home, the greater the likelihood of an offer. Here are 18 interior tips to help you “dress” the interior of your house so it feels like home to your buyers.

Tip #14: The entry way sets first impressions. So make sure it’s in great condition with fresh paint and clean floors. If the entry tile floor has build-up, consider using a commercial stripper and rewaxing.

Tip #15: Clear out about one-third to one-half of your furniture. You want your home to look uncluttered and the rooms to feel open and bright. The average home has too much furniture for showing, and you need to move anyhow. So you might as well pack away any furniture that clutters any rooms in the home.

Tip #16: Put away nick-knacks and items that make the home look overly personal to YOU. You do not want your buyer feeling that they would never fit in the home because it has so many of your personal items in it. Put away cluttered photos and other objects that will detract away from the home.

Tip #20: GIVE YOUR HOME A SPACIOUS LOOK. If you’ve ever toured a model home, you’ve noticed that the home is spacious and bright. Make your home look the same by: 1) Clear out stairs and halls of clutter and excess furniture, 2) Clear counters in the kitchen and bathrooms, and 3) Make closets and storage areas neat and tidy.

Tip #21: Make sure your home is clean by doing the following: 1) Shampoo carpets, 2) Clean washer, dryer, and laundry tubs, 3) Clean the furnace, 4) Clean the refrigerator and stove, 5) Clean and freshen the bathrooms. Hire a professional cleaning service if needed. The money you spend on these areas will comelubricate closet door tracks with a silicon spray.

Tip #24: Glue loose wallpaper seams and remove soiled wallpaper.

Tip #25: Clean around fireplaces and remove ashes.

Tip #26: Organize all closets, pack up unnecessary items for storage, and put all toys away.

Tip #27: Make sure all beds are made, bedrooms are neat and clean, and laundry is clean and folded.

Tip #28: Consider holding a yard sale BEFORE you place your home on the market to get rid of excess items that can make your home look cluttered or small. Bathrooms and kitchen are some of the most influential areas of a home. Spending a small amount of
money in these areas frequently nets owners many times their investment. Here are a few suggestions for each.

Tip #29: Your Bathrooms. Repair loose tiles. Remove loose grout using a grout file, and apply new grout. Faded tile colors can be improved using an epoxy spray. Remove old tub and tile caulking with a hooked scraper, install new white silicone tub, and tile caulk. Concentrate on areas such as counter corners, shower corners, and base of toilet. Clean mildewed caulk by spraying diluted
chlorine bleach and let stand for at least 30 minutes before rinsing. Old tubs can often be sprayed with an epoxy coating. Remove all soap scum and dirt build-ups. Again, diluted chlorine bleach will help here. Clean glass doors with vinegar, and replace badly soiled shower curtains. Don’t forget to vacuum exhaust fans.

Tip # 31: Save your receipts. If you need to make substantial repairs to your home, save the receipts in a manila envelope. This will show what has been updated in the home. How To Show Your Home For Maximum Profit There’s a right way to show a home…and a wrong way. Many homeowners lose money, or turn-off buyers, because they simply didn’t know how to handle a home showing. Here are 13 tips that will help you show your home for maximum profit:

Tip #32:Save those receipts. If you completed any substantial work on your home, save the receipts and ONLY take them out if someone questions the value of the work performed (in the negotiating process). Many times extra work will increase the value of your home beyond your costs. So only use the receipts if you need support to justify the work.

Tip #33: Save those utility bills. Buyers frequently have questions about utility costs of owning a home. If you have past utility bills, you will greatly increase your credibility and help provide precise answers to important questions. Save electric, gas, water, oil, sewage, and waste management bills.

Showing Your Naples Home:

Tip #34: Go away during organized showings. Three’s a crowd when your home is being shown. The only exception to this rule is if you have specific knowledge about features of the home a Realtor cannot answer. But in most cases, don’t stay.

Tip #35:Turn on ALL lights. Illumination is like a welcome sign.

Tip #36: Open all drapery and bring in as much natural light as possible. Buyers hate dark homes. Anything you can do to brighten your home will help.

Tip #37: Turn off any radios and TV’s. Turn off the football game. Tell the kids that the loud music will need a reprieve while the home is being shown. Occasionally very soft, background music can enhance a showing. But generally, no music at all is your best bet.

Tip #38: Plan a pleasant aroma. Cinnamon sticks or vanilla boiled in a pot of water on the stove emit pleasant aromas and make a home smell inviting. Apple and cherry wood smoldering in a fireplace do the same. And who can resist the smell of apple pie or fresh bread baking in the kitchen. Often, these pleasant smells can override other odors your home may have.

Tip #39: Keep pets out of the home during showings. It’s best to keep them out of the home for an entire day before an open house.

Tip #40: DO NOT volunteer conversation. Be courteous but don’t force conversation with a potential buyer. They want to inspect your home, not make a social call.

Tip #42: DO NOT Tag Along. It makes buyers fearful and uncomfortable. The showing Realtor knows the buyer’s requirements and can better emphasize the features of your home. They will call you if needed.

Tip #43: Never negotiate during a showing. Let your Realtor discuss price, terms, possessions, and other items with any potential buyers. If any negotiations arise prior to an offer, politely request the

CALL TODAY FOR INFORMATION ON SELLING YOUR HOUSE FAST AND FOR THE MOST MONEY POSSIBLE - 239-434-9021

ELLEN MANN, P.A., REALTOR, ABR, CIPS, GRI, TRC

QUIZDo you remember the old riddle that goes,
“What do you call the person who graduated dead-last in their medical school class?”

Answer: “DOCTOR”

Well, it’s the same with real estate agents.
Someone with vast experience and extraordinary professionalism usually costs the same as someone with little or no experience, or with compromising standards. You need to know how to tell the difference up front. Choosing a competent and experienced realtor can mean the difference between a higher negotiated sales price and losing money, selling in less time or in more time (costing you potentially $1,000’s in added interest), and experiencing problems and hassles or a problem-free transaction.

Our community is loaded with agents who are wrong for you, your area, and your home. Some agents are in business part time for a little extra cash. Others are subsidizing other businesses or careers. And then there’s your “cousin Harry,” whom you feel obligated to because he “really needs your business.”

Selling your home is probably the most important financial transaction you will ever make. That’s why I take my business so seriously. It’s also why I have developed customized home marketing programs meant specifically for your situation.

In today's housing market knowing the current up-to-date market value of your home if you are thinking of selling it is vitally important. But how do yuou get a reliable evaluation of your home if you are not quite ready to list it for sale? I have made it easy for you. Just fill out the form (Click) and I will email you a quick, up-to-the-minute evaluation of your home.

THIS EVALUATION IS COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE
AND YOU ARE OBLIGATED TO NOTHING!

Copyright 2018 Multiple Listing Service of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc.; All rights reserved. The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site is the copyrighted and proprietary database of the Multiple Listing Service of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, Inc. The properties displayed may not be all of the properties in the MLS\' database, or all of the properties listed with Brokers participating in the cooperative data exchange program. Properties listed by Brokers other than Premiere Plus Realty are marked with BR logo and include the name of the listing Brokers. Information provided is thought to be reliable but is not guaranteed to be accurate; buyers are advised to verify facts before making the decision to purchase a property. No warranties, expressed or implied, are provided for the data herein, or for their use or interpretation by the user. Information provided is for consumer\'s personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. This site will be monitored for \'scraping\' and any use of search facilities of data on the site other than by a consumer looking to purchase real estate, is prohibited. Listing broker has attempted to offer accurate data, but buyers are advised to confirm all items. Information last updated on 2018-02-21.